Feed mechanism for can-body blanks.



J. W. DIXON.

FEED MECHANISM FOR CAN BODY BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1911.

1,031,251 Patented July 2,1912.

3 SHBETS8HEET 1.

. .L' W. DIXON. v mm MECHANISM ron CAN BODY BLANKS;

APPLICATION FILED MARJIQ, 1911.

1 ,031,251. Batented July 2, 1912, s snnn'rs-snnn'r 2. F492 s l H I i .mlllHumm ,IIIIIIIIIIIIHIL:

3 7 1 5%, we *ezh/q J w. DIXON. FEED MECHANISM FOR CAN BODY BLANKS.

APPLIOATIOIIILID MAR. 29, 191)." 1,031,251.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oF IoE.

' James w. DIXON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN can compan or new YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY. V

, FEED MECHANISM FOR CAN-BODY BLANKS..

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1y 2, 1912, Application filed March 29, 1911. 'Serial No. 617,721.

17 0 all whom it may concern:

:Be it known that I, JAMES WV. DIxoN, a

citizen of the United States, residing In Austin,Cl1icago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feed Mechanism for Can-Body Blanks; of which the following is a specification.

-- This invention relates to an improvement in feed mechanism for can-body-blanks;' its object is to providea means for discharging such blanks with certainty and regularity and without clogging, from a pile of the same ina hopper; and it consists, generally stated,in providing an open bot-tom sheet hopper with movable supports for the edges of the lower sheet, which movable supports free firstone edge ofthe sheet and then the othercausing the sheet to drop down on a carrier one edge at a time.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe improved canbody-blank feeder; Fig. 2 an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 a plan view of the blank hopper; Fig. 4: a sectional View on the I line 4..4; ofFig. 2;; Fig. 5 a similar sectional View showing the same parts in a different i this shaft is a I wheel513.

position; Fig. 6 a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In the said drawing 11 is themain shaft.

the wing cam 12of'said body maker. On 2 power receiving sprocket The presence. and location of the above mentioned wingcam and sprocket wheel may serve to indicate to those familiar with this art, the possible relation of the improved feeding-mechanism to a certain type of body maker.

'On -the. power shaft 111 is a crank, 14, whose rod, 15, is pivotally connected at' 16 to a'rock arm, 17, the free end of which vrock-arm is connected by a pivoted link, 18,

to the usual horizontal reciprocal can-bodyblank feed-mechanism, 19, (detailed descriptionof which horizontal feedis unnecessary for a full com rehension of this I invention) and the function of'which feed mechanism-ism carry the sheets horizontallyflaway frgn the hopper, and deliver them to the 'c-an-body making machine.

Upon the same shaft 11, is a second eccentric 20, whose rod, 21, is pivotally attached to a head, 22, mounted on a screw-threaded connecting rod 23, which screw-threaded rod is adjustably connected to the hanging rock arms 24, v 25, attached respectively to' the rock shafts 26, 27. i being screw-threaded the attachment of the eccentricrod 21 to said connecting-rod is easily adjustedto any position by nuts 28, 28,. on said screw threaded rod and the attachments of said scrmV-threaded. rod to the rock-arms 24 and 24" are similarly adjustable by the nuts 29729. The function? of therock shafts 24, 25, will. be presently explained. p p 1' 7 The blank-hopper consists of upright sides SO'and 31, each supported on a base 32, resting in turn upon frame 33, of the machine, and made adjustable thereon by bolts 34, 34, and slots 35, 35, and uprighte'ndguides 36, 36, at each end of the hopper, to keep the blanks cent-cred. The uprightside The connecting .rod 23 wall, 30, at its lower edge is provided-with a projection 32 having the inclined. continuation, 33, of the side wall for centering the sheets and the further incline 34, for supporting one edge'tepiporarilv after the other edge has left the hopper. I- nd said projection 32 is furnished with a slot 35 of dimensions to receive the edge of a single sheet in the opera-tion of discharging the same from the hopper. The upright side 31 has at its lower edge an incline 36?, for engaging the other edge of the sheet and centers ing the sheetby coiiperation with the oppositely inclined edge 33. I p Upon each of the shafts :26. 27 is a bifur cated depending rock arm, 37, to the lower end of each of which are pivoted two fingers, 38, the outer end of each linger being depressed by a spring, 39, and the inner end holdup by said spring against the bottom of the hopper; The said inner end in caseof each of said fingers is made with an 1nclincd'nose;'40, and provided with an'insert or block 41-, projecting aho tewthe inclined nose the thickness of a sheetof tin.

On the wall, 31, and at the lower edge of the same are, three narrow shelves, :2. for the edge of the lowermost sheet in the hopper to rest upon, and which shelves are a sheet-thickness below the bottom of the hopper. The pile of sheets, 43, Isl-shown in the hopper, the lowermost sheet,.j 4-1, resting with one 'of its edges upon the shelves 4:2,

andhaving the ther edge resting upon the progection, 32, m-line with the slot, 35*, and

' below the hopper bottom. In this condition I is the simultaneous movement of the fingers 38 into the position shown at Fig.4: causes the block, 41 to push the other edge of the lowermost sheet intothe slot, 35

the fingersfinthe other direction, the lowermost sheet, is pushed out. of the slot, 35*, andralls into the position indicated at Fig. one edge resting on the horizontal carrier,

'19, and the other edge having'been' pushed out of the, slot by block, 41, at that side and held up'by the rounded nose of the fingers. In addition'to' the usual spring dogs upon the horizontal carrier, unnecessary to describe, is the pair ofrigid dogs,45,.upon

Which-the lower edge of the sheet t t'rests when it fir'st'falls down. The reciprocation of the carrier, 19, is sufficient in extent to bring the dogs, 45,.beneath the hopper to .receive the sheet in the'manner aboveindicated, and then moves in the reverse direction far. enough to permit-the sheet, with its upper end held against the block, 41, to slide 0n the-dogs and fall down upon the bed of the horizontal carrier, 19', as'indicated at 4:6. The operation as will be understood is such .-.that only one'sheet at a time can pass from the "hopper, and such that the delivery of this single sheet is'certain' and all clogging of the" delivery due to the bur on the edge of the sheets is prevented.-

Y It will be understood by those skilled in this art that the slot 35* may be omitted if desired since the sheets are, usually flexible enough to readily bend sufliciently to perengagement.

' movable supporting fingers for two edges of the blank, and means for movln'g said finmit the movement of the fingers in theirdis Having described the invention claim'is made as follows:

1 v1. The feed for can-body blanks comprising in combination a bottomless hopper,

gers to free and drop one edge of the blank at a'time on a carrier, and said carrier made to reciprocate and provided with rigid dogs to receive the. first edge of the dropping blank, substantially as specified.

. 2. The feed. for can-body blanks comprisi ing in combination a bottomless hopper having. the lower edges of its side walls in- Wardly inclined to center the blanks, a fixed blank support at one edge slightly belowth'e hopper bottom and opening to a slot to permit lateral movement of the blank toward this side, a similar fixed blank support at the other side, movable supporting fingers for the edges of the blank at bothsides, and v means fer moving' said fingers to fr'ee and drop one edge of the blank at atime,

carrier, substantially, .als specified.

Follow-' mg th1s,-when the rock shafts, 26, 27, move 3. I he feed for can-body blanks comprising in combination a bottoinlesshopper having the lower edges of its side walls inwardly inclined to center the blanks, a fixed blanksupport at one edgeslightly below the hopper bottom and opening to a: slot to permit lateral movement of. the blank toward this side, a similar fixed blank support at the other side, movable supporting fingers for the edges of the blank at both sides, and

means for moving said fingers to free and drop one edge of the blank at a time on the carrier, and said carrier made to'reciprocate and provided with rigid dogs to receive the first edge of the dropping blank, substantially as specified;

kA device of the class described, comprising a stack holder, a pair of separating fingers located adjacent opposite'si'des of the holder and adapted to engage a blank,

said' fingers being reciprocal substantially 1n unison and adaptednto engage first one side of the blank and then the opposite side to separate the end the stack; V

1 5. A device of the class described adapted to separate blanks from astack comprising blankfrom the rest of a stack holder, a pair of separating fingers reclprocal across the edges of the stack holder at the end thereof, each finger being provided with a cutting-out projection j thereon adapted to engage an'edge of the end blank of the stack and move the same relatively totheremaining blanks in the 7. In 'a device of the class described, n

combination, a stack, holder provided with retaining members at one end thereof, one of said retaining members being provided with a slot located in the same plane as that in which the end blankof the stack is posi tioned, and reciprocating fingers located adjacent'opposite sides of the stack holder, one of'said fingers being adapted to engage one edge of the end blank of the stack and push it intosaid slot and the other finger being adaptedto engage an opposite edge of the endblank and push the blankin the opposite direction.

8 .1111 a device of-the class described, in

combinat-ion,- a vertically disposed stack holder having supporting pledges at thebotating fin the stack tom theregf ief he blmiks, I gel-s disposed on opposite sidesof see hnhier adiacent the bottom, each 01f said "r ers being provided with (flii'tlflfi mt ection adapted to engage one blank at a 2. uni-son,

in a device ofthe clwas described, in nation, a verticaily arranged. stack lacid 1' having retaining members at the bottornoi the stack adapted tosupportihe bianks and reciprocating separating fingers,

said fingers being pivotally mounted and.

located. at the bottom of the stack holder and adapted to engage first. one edge of the" bottom blank and then the opposite edge of the same.

- said-slot and then to en a 'e the 0 )Josite ta ta H edge of'the blank to push the same out of the'siot.

11. In a device of the class described, in

combination, a stack holder having retaining a, and mechanism "for moving said tinge il'lfilll'liHJH for the stack at one end thereof, or said members being provided with a sick said slot being located in the same plane a5 that in which the end blank of the stack wad, and devices for engaging first am; are of the and blank to push it into said slot and then to engage the opposite edge of the blank to pnsh the same out of the slot, said devices comprising pivotally mounted reciprocating separatingfingers.

12. Ina device of the class described, in combination, a vertically arranged stack holder having supporting ledges at the bottom thcreott'located'on opposite sides of the holder, separating fingers located adjacent the supporting members, said separating lingers being each reciprocal back and forth across the edge of the stack holder and being each pivotally mounted and resiliently cmitrollcd, said fingers being each further- Oil more provided with a cutting-outprojectionon its upper face adapted to engage the lowermost blank of the stack, and mechanism for reciprocating said fingers in unison.

JAMES \V. DIXON. \Vitnesses:

PEARL ABRAMS, Es'rnnn ABRAMS; 

